First Impressions
by NoMoreThanUsual
Summary: The day Bella went to the Cullens' home for the first time. Starting at Chapter 15 of Twilight from various Cullens' perspectives. This story is the behind the scenes look at the day Bella met the Cullens. What happened where Bella could not see them?
1. Chapter 1

**First Impressions**

**Chapter 1 - Preparations**

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Twilight. As if you didn't know._

**Author's Note:** I'd like to thank BlondieakaRobin for her suggestion to get started with writing this particular story and for her great suggestions that made it better. This scene was the reason I got into fanfiction to begin with. I just needed a little kick to get going. Thanks, Blondie. :o)

And thanks, once again, the incomparable KlutzLikeBella for her untiring encouragement and support in pouring over draft after draft. I'd be lost without you, KLB! If you haven't read her work yet, you should – especially "Battle Wounds", which made me fall in love with Jasper. Thanks KLB.

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**Carlisle's POV**

I waited on the front lawn until Edward disappeared from sight into the woods.

I couldn't keep the grin from my face. I had never thought to see Edward like this – so unguarded, so . . . happy.

For so many years, I had wrestled with my guilt over the decision to change Edward. I agonized about whether I had done the right thing in 'saving' him. I had saved him from the death his illness would have brought, but I knew he considered himself damned. As the decades passed, I grew more uncertain of my decision that day. The walls around Edward grew ever thicker and higher, shutting out not only humanity, but our kind as well. He never sought the company of others, especially female companionship. He politely but pointedly turned down every woman who expressed an interest in him – human and vampire alike – and over the decades, there had been quite a number of both. I worried that I had changed him too young, before he developed the ability to form relationships outside of our family, especially the lasting bond with a companion.

Now, seeing him fresh from Bella's side, I felt as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from me and a feeling of joyful exuberance exploded from inside me.

Today, I felt like a man granted a pardon; as if the crime I feared I had committed had never occurred.

I was redeemed.

Turning, I walked back to our house and to my waiting family.

* * *

Stepping into the house, I quietly summoned my family, "I'd like to see you all in the living room now please."

They appeared quickly. None of them had gone very far, after Edward's return. They all wanted to hear the details of his day with Bella Swan, how she'd reacted to his revelations of the truth of our nature and how he'd managed not to kill her.

Not that Edward was forthcoming with the details they sought. He'd admitted to taking her to the meadow and spending the day with her, but he refused to explain where he'd been all night until these early morning hours. Emmett and Jasper had ribbed him about watching Bella sleep again, but I felt there was more to the story. Perhaps he'd tell me later, when his siblings weren't hanging on his every word, looking for an excuse to tease him.

"So is it true? Alice is right? Edward's bringing Bella home?" Esme asked excitedly as I closed the front door behind me.

"Yeah, it's hard to follow your conversation when we can only hear half of it," Emmett complained from his position on the couch. "Actually, less than half," he griped.

I smiled at him. He'd been complaining for years that he couldn't understand most of what passed between Edward and me. Knowing Edward as well as I did, I often knew what he was going to say before he voiced it. I needed few words from him to understand him, making our conversations more silent than spoken. It was a constant source of frustration to our family.

Esme stood on the staircase, halfway down to the main floor. I was amused as I realized that she too must have been listening from upstairs to my conversation outside with Edward and had darted down as soon as she heard Edward leave. I knew she was torn between wanting to give Edward his privacy and wanting to hear the details of our conversation.

At my nod confirming Edward planned to invite Bella here, Esme beamed. She was practically shaking with excitement.

Alice was hopping on the balls of her feet, unable to contain her excitement. My youngest daughter lived in a different time than the rest of us, experiencing her life through possible futures. When a future she had eagerly anticipated finally unfolded, she was usually beside herself with excitement and impatience, like a child watching a loved one unwrap a gift she had picked out. I chuckled as I pictured Alice as a child, chanting "open it, open it, open it!" She had known that Edward would invite Bella home as soon as he made his decision shortly after midnight. She had had a difficult time convincing the rest of my children that not only had Edward not killed Bella, but that she would come visiting that same morning. Everyone had refused to make good on the bets they made, opting to wait until they heard the truth for themselves from Edward when he got home. Honestly, how could they doubt Alice?

And Alice had been seeing, for weeks, that Bella would become one of us. She and Edward argued almost constantly about those particular visions.

"Don't get too excited. He's going to invite her. That doesn't mean she's coming. She'll probably decline. It's early to be expecting her to meet our whole family – especially given that Bella knows exactly what we are." I cautioned them. I didn't want to squelch their enthusiasm, but I did want to brace Esme and Alice for Bella's probable refusal. I hated seeing either of them disappointed.

"Oh, she'll come," Alice stated with gleeful certainty, while purposefully ignoring Rosalie's angry scowl.

"Are you sure?" Esme confirmed.

"Actually," Alice chirped, "I can see Bella spending a lot of time here. As a human, I mean. I see her here all the time now."

"Oh that's just great!" Rosalie snapped angrily. "I guess it doesn't matter what _I _want! The safety of this family means nothing to any of you! It's all about Perfect Edward and what _he_ wants. It's not like this is _my_ home too! I can't believe you're letting her come here. You're all treating her like she's some kind of house pet. She's not some stray that followed Edward home. She _has _a home and it isn't here. She's dangerous to us. She's stupid and she's dangerous."

Jasper cringed as the waves of Rosalie's anger washed over him. Though her fury wasn't directed at him, he still could not escape its effect on him. I didn't envy him his talent.

"Rosalie," Esme started, trying to soothe our daughter's anger.

But Rosalie wasn't listening. "No!" she snapped. "I won't be part of this stupid charade. I don't want _her_ here. I don't _like _her. She doesn't belong here. One of us is going to kill her eventually. It's inevitable. And then I'll say I told you so!"

Barely pausing, Rosalie continued, "And you can stop trying to calm me down, Jasper! Don't think I don't know what you're doing! You of all people should object to her coming here. The house will reek of human for days. You won't be able to draw a breath in here without your throat burning."

"I can manage," he stated stoically. "This is important to everyone." But his eyes strayed to Alice. I understood what he felt – Jasper would do anything for Alice.

Rosalie snarled angrily, "I hope '_everyone_' still feels bringing her here was important when one of us has killed her."

Frowning, Emmett reached out to touch Rosalie's shoulder but she shook him off, and turned the full force of her fury on him.

"No, Emmett. You know I'm right. Edward's being an idiot and we're all going to pay for it." She turned furious eyes to the rest of us. "I refuse to have anything to do with this."

She got up and stormed out of the house through the back door.

I sighed with frustration. Rosalie could be so unwilling to accept change and once she'd made up her mind, nothing could sway her.

"I'll talk with her," Emmett mumbled, embarrassed by his wife's behavior.

I nodded silently and Emmett paused for a moment. My son's disappointment was clear. He had wanted a chance to finally meet Bella as much as the rest of us. I knew he'd seen her at school, but he'd never spoken with her and he'd wanted the opportunity. But Rosalie had forced him to choose between herself and Bella and, for Emmett, there could be no other decision. Quietly, he left to follow my daughter out to the garage, where I could hear her already banging tools to vent her anger.

Esme's eyes met mine. After nearly a century of marriage, I didn't need Edward's talent to know what she was thinking. She was afraid. She feared that we would terrify Bella, that we would ruin Edward's chances at happiness, that Rosalie would vent towards the unsuspecting girl and that somehow we couldn't manage this meeting today. But most especially, she was afraid that Rosalie was right and that one of us would hurt Bella and that it would break Edward. Because it was becoming clear to both Esme and myself that Edward loved Bella beyond all else. She was his companion, despite the fact that she was human.

And I couldn't reassure Esme that her fears were baseless. I was worried about those things as well.

However, as head of this family, I had to hide my own doubts and show confidence in my decisions. My family deserved a strong leader; I would not fail them by being anything less than strong. I had decided to support Edward in his choices regarding Bella and I wouldn't back down now. I had to trust in his choices and have faith that everything would work out in the end.

Hiding my own worries, I put my arm around Esme's small shoulders and drew her to me. I let my embrace offer her the comfort that I couldn't honestly express in words. I couldn't bring myself to lie to her and settled for the reassurances that I could truly believe. "It'll be all right, Esme. We'll take this one step at a time and we'll see where it leads us." In truth, that was the best any of us could do in this life. We had to trust that things would work out as they were meant to.

"It'll be fine, Esme," Alice's cheerfulness was undeterred. "Bella's still coming. And I still see her visiting often in the next weeks," she stated confidently. "And she'll be my sister too, one day," she added gleefully.

I decided not to argue with Alice about Bella joining our family. Edward was doing enough of that for all of us. Not that I was opposed to Bella joining us – what I'd seen already of this young lady showed her to be courageous and intelligent – but I didn't want to discuss changing her today. Not when there was already so much to consider and plan.

Turning my attention back to the present, I addressed Jasper and Alice, "Neither of you were with us when we negotiated the treaty with the Quileutes. It's one thing to interact with humans in an everyday manner, when they don't know us for what we are and when their fears are purely instinctual. It's another thing entirely when they do know what we are and what we're capable of. It magnifies their fears a hundredfold.

"At the time we negotiated with the Quileutes, we carefully orchestrated the meetings to ensure that we didn't alarm the tribal elders and that we maintained an air of calm and control at all times. As you know, our efforts were successful then. We'll use the same principles with Bella."

I met their eyes, each in turn, ensuring I had their complete attention. "When Bella arrives, we will ensure that she has space – what she might consider a safe distance between herself and us. Yes, Jasper, I know," I said forestalling his comment, "the distance is irrelevant, but it lends the illusion of safety to humans."

At his nod, I continued, "Only after she's acknowledged us do we approach her at all. Any movements, particularly if they are towards her, must be very slow – nothing sudden. And only one of us will approach at a time. The others will hang back until she's adjusted. Jasper, Edward asks that you keep your distance from Bella, at least at first."

"That's probably a… wise decision. The last thing I would wish to do is harm the girl. I know my control is not as good as it could be," Jasper replied, chagrin clear in his tone. He hated the fact that his ability to restraint his instincts was so much weaker than ours.

It was not something for which I faulted him. His life before Alice was not conducive to building self-restraint. Jasper had had to live through nearly a century of blood, battles and death before Alice found him. I was very proud of his willingness to learn this new lifestyle and of his efforts. He had come so far. I held eye contact with him and deliberately concentrated on my pride in him and my acceptance of him, knowing he would read my emotions. He smiled slightly and nodded his understanding of my silent message.

Focusing once more on this morning's meeting, I took a deep breath before proceeding to the next point. I was already anticipating Alice's objection. "And it would be best if only Esme and I greet Bella at first. Once she's adjusted to us, you both can join us."

As I predicted, Alice huffed in annoyance. She opened her mouth to argue, but I held up my hand to silence her. "Alice, please. I know you're excited that she's coming, but we need to do this right. It's very important to Edward."

She surprised me by rolling her eyes. "I know it's important to Edward, Carlisle. It's important to all of us. But, believe me, you're underestimating Bella. She's not easily frightened. You don't need to worry about her."

"Alice, what I've seen so far of this girl and what I know from Edward, all tells me she's courageous. However, we will do this right. For Edward's sake as well as Bella's. Please do it my way."

She sighed, "Okay, but I'm telling you this is silly."

"Another thing," I continued, ignoring Alice's comment. "First impressions have a very strong impact, especially on feelings of safety. Clothing is often the first thing a human will notice. Non-aggressive colors are best – in this case, shades of white and beige which will blend into our home's decor."

At my words, Alice's face darkened with rebellion. She crossed her arms over her red blouse defiantly. Her eyes dared me to say anything more.

Esme came to my rescue. "Please. Alice. Red? It's the color of blood and violence. Particularly since Bella knows about us. You have so many lovely things. Couldn't you just change your. . . ?"

"No," she stated flatly, interrupting her mother.

"Just . . ."

"No. Next point," she waved her hand to indicate I should continue.

Jasper hid his smirk. He knew how determined Alice could be when she wanted to be– particularly if it involved clothes. My eldest daughter did not have an exclusive on stubbornness.

I sighed in resignation. I didn't need to be psychic to know how this battle of wills would turn out. So I moved on. "That's it. Just calm, slow and gentle. Don't rush at her, and let her set the pace. And pray all goes well."

"Do you see if Bella's still coming? When will they get here?" Esme asked Alice eagerly.

"I can see her trying to decide what to wear . . . oh come on! You _have_ to have more than one skirt!" Alice shook her head in disgust. "I'll have a lot of work to do with her – well, with her wardrobe. Ummm, they should be here in another half hour, if nothing changes. And . . . oh . . ." her face went suddenly blank and I wondered if she was still seeing Bella in her closet or if something else had drawn her attention.

Jasper must have sensed something more in Alice's vision. He stepped forward and put his arms around his wife.

We all waited for her to surface from her vision.

Then she blinked repeatedly and drew a deep breath. "We've got more company coming," she declared.

I frowned. "Who?"

"Our kind. I saw three of them – two males and a female. They should arrive shortly before dawn tomorrow."

"Are they . . . ?" Esme asked.

"Vegetarians? No, they're not."

"Oh dear." Esme's worry showed clearly in her voice and face.

"They won't come to town. It's us they'll want to meet. They're curious. I don't see any . . . incidents with anyone in Forks. It'll be okay, Esme." Alice took her mother's hand to comfort her.

"Three to seven are very good odds, Esme. They won't challenge us in our own territory, outnumbered as they are," Jasper was quick to comfort Esme as well.

"Nevertheless, I'll let Edward know. Undoubtedly he'll want to keep a sharp watch over Bella while the visitors are here," I added, picturing how protective Edward would become when he learned of this.

Deliberately changing the subject back to a lighter topic, I questioned Alice, "So, has Bella changed her mind? Are they still coming?"

"Yep," she chirped happily. "Twenty-five minutes and counting!"

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**Author's End Note:** Please let me know if this is any good by leaving a review. I can't get any better if I don't know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2 Meetings

**First Impressions **

**Chapter 2 – Meetings**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight. As if you didn't know.

_**Author's Notes:**_ As always, KlutzLikeBella has been amazing in patiently beta-ing all my silly mistakes, making wonderful suggestions and encouraging me to continue with this story. Thanks KLB! Her work is really awesome – please check it out!

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**Esme's POV**

In the distance I could hear the clatter and rumble of an old engine, getting louder as it came closer. I looked questioningly at Alice.

She answered my unspoken question. "Yes, that's them." She laughed excitedly. "Bella drives a '53 Chevy truck."

Alice laughed again at my surprised expression. I don't know why I was surprised by Bella's unusual choice of cars. When she was willingly coming to meet a coven of vampires, nothing should surprise me about her.

"How long until they get here?" I asked Alice. The slow pace of the truck coming down the lane together with the deafening roar of the engine made it hard to estimate how far away they were.

"Three minutes," she chirped, as she hopped excitedly on the balls of her feet. I was as excited as Alice was, but I managed to keep my composure a bit better. For her, she was certain her new sister was coming home for the first time. For myself, I was excited to finally meet the young woman I'd been hearing so much about. For weeks, she had been a popular topic of conversation in our home, though individual opinions of her were extremely varied. I didn't know if Alice was right about her joining our family – Edward was so dead-set against it that the possibility of that particular vision coming to pass seemed highly unlikely. But both Alice and Edward were so strong willed. I was uncertain how the future would play out. Eventually, I decided it didn't matter. Whether Bella was to be my daughter or simply Edward's love, I was excited and nervous to finally meet her.

"Alice, you and Jasper go upstairs and wait. As Carlisle said, we don't want to overwhelm her. Goodness knows why one of our kind doesn't terrify her. There's no way the poor thing can handle five of us at once."

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Esme, you're underestimating her. Bella doesn't scare easily. She'll be fine."

I felt a flicker of annoyance through the nervousness that dominated me. "Alice, please," I begged her. "This is too important to Edward to take any chances. I want this to be perfect for him."

She huffed in annoyance. "Fine. Jasper and I will wait upstairs. But you're still underestimating her. You'll see I'm right. Trust me. I know." She tapped her temple with her finger for emphasis. Then she turned to call over her shoulder, "C'mon, Jazz." And she skipped up the stairs.

"And change your shirt," I called after her. I ignored the contemptuous snort that drifted down the stairs behind my daughter.

I took a last look around the house. Everything looked neat and tidy. I nervously rearranged the pillows on the sofa. I was debating rearranging the placement of the furniture, knowing that I really didn't have the time for such foolishness, but unable to stop myself anyway. Sensing my anxiety, Carlisle put a soothing arm around my shoulders and drew me close to his chest. I gave a shaky sigh, trying to control my nerves.

He nuzzled my neck and breathed into my ear, "Relax, love. The house looks wonderful. And you look beautiful, as always. It will all be fine. Just relax."

"I'm just worried, Carlisle. What if things go wrong? What if we scare her? Edward's talked of nothing but Bella for weeks. He'd be devastated if he lost her now. What if . . .?"

"Esme, stop," Carlisle gently interrupted my worried babbling. "Whatever happens will be what is meant to be. We have done all we can to make this go well, both for Edward and for Bella. There's nothing left to do but to have faith. Please, just relax, my love."

I took a deep, steadying breath. Carlisle's scent never failed to comfort me. With his arms around me, the butterflies in my stomach settled a little. I nodded into his chest. He gently rubbed circles on my back to soothe me.

I listened to the sound of the truck approaching. It had to be close now; how loud could that engine be?

Finally after what felt like an eternity, I heard the brakes squeal, and then silence fell as the engine cut.

Carlisle took my hand and led me to stand beside Edward's grand piano, far enough from the front door to give Bella some room when she first entered our home.

As we stood and waited, I heard Edward and Bella talking outside. It sounded like she was nervous too. Well, at least we had that much in common. I shook my head at my thoughts – what was I thinking? She had far more reason to be nervous than me. I wondered at her bravery in coming at all.

Finally, I heard the truck doors slam and footsteps crossing the porch. I held my breath for a moment in anticipation and let it out slowly as the latch on the door clattered.

When the front door swung open, I prepared to get my first look at Bella. However, I was completely distracted by my son. It almost felt as if I'd never seen him before.

The most significant change was how _happy _Edward looked. If I had previously thought that Bella had wrought a change in my son, it was nothing to what I saw in him in this moment. Until now, I had only perceived what the _memory_ of Bella did to him. Now standing in her presence, he positively glowed – happiness radiated from him.

I decided then that I didn't care about anything else about this girl. She could have three eyes and duck feet and I'd love her.

Edward stood protectively over her. His shoulders slightly hunched as he unconsciously bent down over her as if to shelter her. I had never seen Edward so protective. He had always defended our family when it was needed, but I'd never seen him so devotedly caring, even tender.

And he was holding her hand! My son – who always shied away from the touch of others, who had rejected every advance from innumerable females of our kind, about whom I had obsessively worried for decades – was holding her hand! I literally had to fight back my squeal of joy.

Bella hadn't noticed Carlisle and me yet. She was curiously looking around our home. I wondered what she thought. Was it what she expected?

I took the moment to really look at her. She was nothing like I had expected. One of the first things I noticed was how unlike Rosalie she was. In fact, she seemed almost a complete opposite to my eldest daughter.

Where Rosalie was a statuesque blond, Bella was a petite brunette. Her long, dark mahogany hair was swept up in a pony tail, exposing her delicate neck. It seemed a curious choice for meeting vampires. She was very pale, almost like us. Her eyes were enormous and a rich, dark brown. Her small nose was slightly turned up and her lips were luscious and full.

Even as a human, Rosalie had possessed a striking, stylish beauty. After her change, her beauty evolved into absolute perfection and it made her seem unattainable to mortal men. Bella's beauty was the girl-next-door kind that instantly made people comfortable in her presence.

But I could see that the differences between the two women went much deeper than mere looks. When Rosalie entered a room, she dominated it. She commanded that all attention be focused on herself. I could see by the way Bella turned slightly to Edward that she was shy and self-effacing, that she didn't like being in the spotlight. Rosalie was constantly aware of the impression she made on others and deliberately manipulated the perception of her beauty to her best advantage. Bella was an open book; her thoughts were easy to read on her expressive face. I smiled, thinking that was a small blessing for Edward, given his frustration with his inability to read her mind.

Where Rosalie was sultry shadows, Bella was purest daylight, noonday sun. Seeing Bella with Edward now, I wondered how Carlisle and I could ever have thought that Rosalie could be Edward's match.

"Carlisle, Esme, this is Bella," my son said, a smile in his voice as he introduced her to us.

Carlisle took a measured step forward, moving very slowly so as not to frighten her. "You're very welcome, Bella." Tentatively, he offered his hand to her.

I was surprised when she stepped forward confidently and grasped Carlisle's hand. "It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen." She said pleasantly without a trace of fear. It was hard to believe she knew we were vampires. And yet, there she stood, shaking hands with my husband; I knew his hand would be hard and cold to her, revealing our inhuman nature. There was no way she could even pretend we were human.

I saw Carlisle's surprise flit across his face before he quickly hid it. "Please, call me Carlisle," he said to put her further at ease.

I was amazed when she grinned at him and repeated "Carlisle".

I took a hesitant breath searching for the smell of adrenaline, for some indication that she was hiding her fear of us. But there was nothing. She really was unafraid. Even her heart rate was returning to normal, as her initial nerves passed.

I didn't try to hide my pleasure as I stepped forward as well and offered her my own hand. Would she take it? She already knew Carlisle from the hospital and was perhaps more at ease with him.

Without hesitating, she trustingly took my hand in hers. I was careful to keep my touch light. The warmth of her body spread quickly up my arm and her pulse beat strongly under my touch. Quickly I turned my thoughts away from the invitation of her heartbeat and focused instead on her delicate bones under my fingers. She felt so very fragile. How ever did Edward manage to touch her as he did without breaking her? Her lack of fear seemed even more amazing to me as I realized how vulnerable she was to us. I marveled at her courage. "It's very nice to know you," I told her warmly, wanting to put her at ease.

She smiled shyly and lowered her eyes. Without thinking, Edward reached for her hand again and moved to stand with his side gently touching her. As soon as he touched her, Bella's heart fluttered and she turned towards him. Edward couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. Once again, I found myself repressing the need to squeal with joy.

Edward decided it was time for his brother and sister to join us. "Where are Alice and Jasper?" he inquired aloud to cue them, though he knew they were upstairs waiting. Very impatiently in Alice's case, I'm sure.

Alice wasted no time. She greeted Edward enthusiastically from the top of the stairs. I was horrified to see she was still wearing the blood red shirt I had asked her to change. But I was even more horrified when she raced down the stairs at normal speed and came to a sudden stop in front of Bella.

My eyes widened with shock and I shook my head at Alice to tell her to stop her behavior immediately. From my peripheral vision, I could see Carlisle doing the same.

Disregarding us completely, Alice greeted Bella cheerfully and quickly closed the distance to press her lips to Bella's cheek. Dear God! Had she lost her mind? I started to lunge forward, unsure if Alice was greeting her or attacking her. Had Alice decided to take matters in her own hands to change Bella, despite Edward's desire to leave her human? For a split second, I debated whether to pull Bella back to safety or simply strangle Alice. Just as suddenly, my daughter danced back from Bella, clearly very pleased with herself for having greeted Bella her way.

I stood in shock waiting for Bella's reaction. The poor girl was surrounded by five vampires, one of whom had just rushed her and pressed her cold lips to Bella's cheek. I braced myself for her to flee. When she did, I would kill Alice. I had told her how important this was to Edward!

If I was surprised at Bella's lack of fear before, I was stunned now. A shy smile spread across her face and she looked at Alice from under her lashes. She seemed unconcerned and even pleased about the way Alice had greeted her. I searched for the smell of her fear, for her inevitable natural reaction. It never came.

My daughter shot me a quick "I-told-you-so" look before turning to look at Edward. I could tell by my son's reaction that he was extremely displeased by whatever Alice had just told him. I didn't know her exact thoughts, but I was certain that Alice was continuing her argument that Bella would be joining our family permanently.

"You do smell nice, I never noticed before," Alice commented aloud.

I blinked. Why had Alice just pointed that out? It was true enough; Bella did have an unusually tempting scent. But what would possess Alice to say that out loud? As I contemplated Bella's scent, it became even stronger as a delicious blush swept over her. I wondered what I could say to ease her obvious embarrassment; then I felt Jasper's calm influence sweep the room. Poor Jasper, I'm sure Bella's embarrassed blush only made things even harder for him. It was no wonder he wanted to put her at ease.

It wasn't until a moment later that it occurred to me – when Alice pointed out Bella's tempting smell, Bella had been _embarrassed_, not afraid. I frowned questioningly at Alice. She held back a giggle and I understood. Nothing was going to frighten Bella – not being in the home of vampires, not having a vampire rush at her, not the touch of my children and not hearing that her smell appealed to us all. Amazing.

I turned my attention back to the conversation in the room, having missed Jasper and Bella greet each other. I heard Bella say "It's nice to meet you all – you have a very beautiful home." And I could tell she honestly meant it. She was honestly pleased to meet us. I had been prepared to like this young woman for Edward's sake. I was delighted to discover I loved her already – this amazing, fearless young woman.

I smiled warmly at her and answered her comment "Thank you. We're so glad that you came." I tried to let her know how truly pleased I was that she came . . . came to Forks, came into Edward's life, as well as into our home today. I think she understood what I meant. She shyly dropped her eyes, but not before I saw her look of pleasure at my words.

Carlisle deliberately caught Edward's attention. He was undoubtedly telling our son about Alice's vision of the visitors coming.

Leaving them to their silent discussion, I turned back to Bella. She was looking intently at Edward's grand piano. Wouldn't it be perfect if she had musical talent too? Curiously I asked her, "Do you play?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. But it's so beautiful. Is it yours?"

I laughed. Mine? "No. Edward didn't tell you he was musical?" _Edward, why didn't you tell her about your music? It's such an important part of your life._

I looked to Edward for an explanation, but he was giving Bella an innocent look that I didn't understand.

Bella answered my question with a "No" and glared at him. She glared at him! I'd never seen a human glare at a vampire before. I nearly laughed aloud.

But I was baffled when she added "I should have known, I guess."

I raised my eyebrows and silently asked Edward_, What does she mean? Why should she have known?_

But it was Bella herself who explained. "Edward can do everything, right?"

Jasper, being a typical brother, snickered loudly. We were all going to hear more about that later after Bella left. Especially once Jasper told Emmett. I had no doubt the two of them would tease Edward unmercifully.

I myself was torn between amusement and the need to scold Edward for a lack of manners, something I was much more used to saying to Emmett than Edward. I decided to go with the scolding. "I hope you haven't been showing off – it's rude," I informed him.

"Just a bit," he laughed freely.

A warmth spread through my chest at the sound. I couldn't recall ever hearing Edward laugh like that before. I'd never heard his laughter without a touch of sarcasm; he was never just freely happy. _Oh Edward. I'm so happy for you. She's simply wonderful. I see why you love her._

"He's been too modest actually," Bella defended Edward.

"Well, play for her," I told him aloud, unable to contain my excitement.

"You just said showing off was rude," he argued.

"There are exceptions to every rule," I informed him.

He may have argued further, but Bella said, "I'd like to hear you play."

"It's settled then." And I pushed him towards the piano.

I didn't try to hide my delighted smile when he refused to let go of Bella's hand and instead pulled her along to the piano as well. He made room for her on the piano bench and pulled her close to his side. They were so perfect together. I felt childish as I repressed the urge to clap my hands and dance in place with excitement.

Edward began to play. It was my song, the one that he had written for me. I had no doubt that he intended it as a message for me – a complex wordless message of gratitude and happiness and love.

_I'm so happy for you, Edward._ I answered him silently. _We'll take care of Bella too, as if she were already part of our family. I promise._

We all laughed quietly as Bella's jaw dropped open in astonishment at Edward's skill.

He explained to her that he had written this song for me and she looked distressed.

"What's wrong?" he asked her solicitously.

She answered him honestly, "I'm feeling extremely insignificant."

Ah, that explained why he hadn't played for her before. He was trying _not_ to show off. Rather than answer her with words, he shifted the melody to the lullaby he had written for her, to show her she was far from insignificant to him.

The moment became intensely private and we all moved away quietly to let them have their time alone.

Carlisle put his arm around my shoulder as he led me back upstairs. I leaned my head on his shoulder as we walked, utterly at peace with my world.

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_**Author's End Note**_: Please let me know if this is any good by leaving a review. I can't get any better if I don't know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3 Siblings

**First Impressions **

**Siblings – Chapter 3 **

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Twilight. As if you didn't know.

_**Author's Note:**_ I'm thinking of continuing this story with another chapter in Emmett's POV. Please let me know if you think it would be worthwhile. I'd love to hear what you think.

This chapter wouldn't have happened without the marvelous KlutzLikeBella. I'd be lost without you, KLB. Have you read her story about Jasper and Alice called "Battle Wounds"? It's amazing! Check it out!

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**Jasper's POV**

We left Edward and Bella at the piano, when Edward began playing Bella's lullaby for her. Their feelings had become so intensely intimate that it would have felt voyeuristic to stay any longer.

I took Alice's small hand in mine and led her out the back door to the yard. We crossed quickly to the garage, where I knew Emmett would be impatiently waiting for a report. I just hoped Rosalie had calmed down. My sister's temper was difficult for me to tolerate when she was in a full blown snit. And Rosalie's reaction to Bella was many times worse than her usual tantrums, given that her emotions were also heavily laced with petty jealousy and a desperate insecurity. I would have felt sorry for her if it weren't for the fact that it felt like angry ants crawling over me every time I got near her in this mood and if her reaction wasn't so damned self-centered.

I sighed, hoping that Emmett had managed to smooth out some of Rosalie's rage. He is often the only one who can really calm her.

Alice, knowing where my thoughts had gone, squeezed my hand in reassurance. "She's much better now. She's worked out her anger." She paused. "Well, some of it anyways."

I sighed again. Rosalie was going to have to adjust to this new situation. From what I'd seen this morning, Bella was here to stay.

We stepped into the garage to find Rosalie working furiously under Emmett's Jeep, all but her slender legs hidden by the monstrous vehicle. Emmett stood beside her, obviously having been assigned to hand her the tools as she needed them.

He looked up eagerly at us. Raging curiosity rolled off him in waves, but was mixed with a wariness and hesitation. He was cautious of Rosalie's reaction to his curiosity. I wondered how much of the conversation from the house he'd heard. I wouldn't be surprised if Rosalie had kept talking to drown out Bella, demanding Emmett's undivided attention.

Rosalie herself was calmer than before. Working in the garage almost always helped her to work through her anger. She was braced for an argument though. I could feel her crouched – emotionally – waiting for something to make her pounce. I was tempted to soothe her mood a bit further, but hesitated to try so soon after arriving. She'd know for sure I was tampering with her feelings and she'd already made it clear that she didn't appreciate _that_ today.

Never one to tip-toe around a subject, but still casting a furtive look in Rosalie's direction, Emmett plunged right in. "So what'd I miss? What's she like?" Emmett asked trying not to sound too interested. His emotions belied his tone.

Rosalie paused in her movements, listening to my answer too.

"She's sweet. Very nice, polite, intelligent, all the things Edward's been telling us she is," I began.

"And scared shitless, I'd bet," Emmett guessed with a chuckle.

"You'd lose," I corrected him, shaking my head. That still surprised me. "She wasn't scared. Not at all. She was shy and a bit nervous, but not fearful. I've never seen anything like it. You should have seen her walk right up to Carlisle and Esme. Alice and I were peeking from upstairs," I elbowed Alice gently, teasing her for her impatience when we were waiting upstairs for 'permission' to come down. She smiled, elbowing me back just as playfully.

"She didn't even flinch when Alice ran right at her and kissed her cheek," I continued.

Emmett's eyes bugged out. Irritation and betrayal seeped off of Rosalie. _Oh, get over it,_ I thought silently to her, wishing for once she had Edward's talent, so I could tell her off without hurting Emmett.

Alice giggled at Emmett's reaction.

"She's shy. And when she's embarrassed, she blushes," I added with a groan. "Deep red, delicious, head-to-toe blushes. I'm going to have to work overtime to keep her from doing that." I shook my head, smiling ruefully. Then I shrugged, "It could be worse. Edward could have picked someone like Lauren Mallory."

Emmett laughed. "No, he couldn't. He'd have eaten her within the first 15 minutes, just to shut her up." He laughed again, obviously enjoying the mental picture of that particular scene. "So she's nice? You like her?"

"You're going to love her, Em," Alice stated confidently putting her arm around his waist. "She's going to be a great little sister. And you'll be a great big brother to her."

Emmett beamed surprised pleasure. Rosalie, however, was growing more irritated by the moment. She rolled out from under the Jeep and started fiddling with the tools, trying to look calm and casual. She wasn't.

Going back to his line of questioning, Emmett asked, "So what embarrassed her? Did Edward say something dumb?" He looked rather hopeful. I knew he was hoping for an opportunity to tease Edward with some new material.

I snickered. "Alice blurted out that Bella smells good."

"How'd I miss hearing that?" he demanded incredulously. Then he cringed slightly realizing he'd slipped. So Rosalie _had_ wanted him not even to listen to the conversation in the house. When Rosalie failed to react, he continued. "She smells good? You mean perfumy good or tasty good?"

"Tasty good," Alice laughed.

"Does she? Well, what'd you tell her _that_ for?" Emmett sputtered. "If I'd have said something like that, I'd be ducking to dodge the smacks aimed at my head." He put his hand up to cover the back of his head, just at the thought of the reaction he'd get.

Alice laughed again. Her mood was soaring. I'm surprised her feet were still on the ground.

"Because I needed to help Esme and Carlisle understand about Bella. She's not going to be scared off. I've watched this morning play in my mind over and over since midnight! Esme and Carlisle want to treat her as gently as they think she needs to be handled. But if I didn't show them how strong she is, we'd be pussy-footing around her for weeks. It'd have been so awkward for all of us." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I had to put a stop to Carlisle and Esme worrying over her. This way we can just get on with her being a part of the family."

Rosalie snarled quietly.

Alice ignored her again. "But really! Change my shirt just because the color red may scare Bella?! Please! She's not that fragile!" She rolled her eyes dramatically.

Emmett chuckled.

"Esme and Carlisle were doing what they thought was right – what would be right for any normal person," Alice allowed.

Emmett raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Oh come on! You have to know by now that Bella's not _normal_," she said the word as if it were distasteful. "She's dating our brother, for Pete's sake, even knowing what he is, knowing how easily he could kill her."

"I wonder what she'll think when she learns that there's a better chance of _him _killing her than any of us," Emmett pondered, referring to Edward's powerful attraction for Bella's blood specifically.

Alice looked smug, "She already knows."

"What?" I stammered. This was news to me. "He told her?"

Alice nodded, exuding smug pride. "Yep."

"And she's still with him?" Emmett's tone was disbelieving.

"Yep," Alice nodded again. "I told you she wasn't normal. And Carlisle and Esme thought she'd be scared of the color red." She snorted.

Emmett and I blinked in surprise, taking a moment to absorb that fact.

"She knows he almost killed her and that he's still struggling, and she didn't boot him to the curb?" I found this unbelievable.

Alice nodded smugly. "And he spent the night with her."

Rosalie snorted. "Sure, sitting on her window ledge like some creepy stalker. There's a picture of impotence."

"Not this time," Alice looked like she'd been holding onto a secret she couldn't hold any longer.

"What do you mean "not this time"?" Emmett asked carefully.

"She knew he was staying over. Actually," she paused for dramatic effect, "Bella spent the night sleeping in Edward's arms." She giggled with delight, her hands held over her mouth.

There was stunned silence as we digested that. Or rather, as we _tried_ to digest that.

Emmett stared wide-eyed at Alice with his jaw dropping slightly. Rosalie had frozen with astonishment. I was flabbergasted as well. Strangely, aside from Alice's giddy delight, there were no emotions in the room whatsoever – we were too shocked to process anything. It was the emotional equivalent of ringing silence.

This couldn't be right. Alice must be joking.

Emmett recovered first. "So you're saying that Edward – saintly, virgin Edward – actually . . ."

Alice smacked Emmett in the arm. "No! Stop talking about my little sister like that! It's their first date! They just cuddled. The whole night." Her eyes were dreamy with delight, matching the contented vibes rolling off of her.

So, no sex. Well that made things a bit easier to digest. Uh, actually no, that didn't. This was still unbelievable. I struggled to speak.

Emmett found his voice before I managed to speak. "So you're saying that Edward – our Edward – prudish, repressed, _gentlemanly_ Edward – spent the night in a girl's room . . . in her bed." He nodded his head quickly and waved his open hands as he struggled with his disbelief. "With her in it!" he clarified.

"Yep."

Silence.

Suddenly Emmett laughed loudly. "Good one, Alice. But how gullible do you think I am?"

We all laughed then, except for Alice. But, God help me, I swear the feelings I felt from Alice told me she was telling the truth. It couldn't be. Edward had had to leave the state after just sitting next to her in class. It was impossible that he spent the night in her bed without killing her.

Turning the conversation back to a more believable topic, Emmett prompted, "So go on. What happened after Alice told Bella she smelled tasty?"

Suddenly remembering, I burst out laughing. "I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you the best part . . ."

"What?" Emmett leaned forward eagerly. His face was alight with intense curiosity.

"Esme and Bella were talking about the piano . . ." My own chuckles interrupted me again.

"What? What? It can't be _that_ good." Emmett said eagerly.

My Alice was laughing too, seeing where this was going. Probably seeing further than I did, actually.

Pulling myself together a bit, I explained, "Bella and Esme were talking by the piano when Bella turned to Esme and said, _'Edward can do everything_.'" My own laughter cut me off again. I put my hands down on my knees, trying to calm myself.

"She said what?" Emmett roared, starting to laugh himself.

"I swear to God, she said – completely seriously – and God help me, a little reverently – 'Edward can do everything.' What line of _crap_ has that boy been feeding her?"

Emmett howled with laughter. "No shit?"

"Swear to God."

"Oh, this is too good. We can't let this pass."

"I knew you and me would be on the same wavelength, my brother." I gasped still laughing.

Rosalie was projecting renewed interest now. The chance to pick on Edward seemed to draw her out of her snit.

"Well, it's our duty as siblings to help restore balance for poor Edward," Rosalie purred. "If _she_'s going to be inflating his already alarmingly large ego, we need to help him keep himself in check."

Emmett laughed, "In other words, knock him down a peg or two."

"Exactly," Rosalie said with great satisfaction.

"Let me be clear before plans are formed," Alice warned. "My little sister is off limits. Don't involve her and don't embarrass her. I mean it."

Emmett and I sobered immediately. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Um, what about Edward?" Emmett asked cautiously.

Alice smirked, "Edward is a big boy and can give as good as he gets. Be my guest."

Grinning widely, Emmett boomed, "Weeelll then!" He rubbed his hands together with glee. "Let's get started. Jasper, any ideas?"

"We could just sit him down and give him a proper talking to . . ."

"Yes, yes."

"But this is big. It needs to be special. We need to commemorate this for Edward."

Emmett and Rosalie were chuckling. Even Alice was laughing quietly.

"So . . ." Emmett said.

"Maybe we should write him a poem," I suggested.

"And set it to music," Emmett added.

I laughed. "We suck at writing music."

Emmett shrugged. "So we steal someone else's tune. Something really annoying, the kind of tune that gets in your head and plays over and over. That way, the song itself can play for Edward even when we're not there to sing it for him." He grinned evilly.

"There's that old Cheez Whiz television commercial from the early 80's," Rosalie reminded us helpfully.

Emmett chuckled. "Yeah, I remember that one. Once it got stuck in my head for three days straight. I thought I was going to kill someone. If I could have gotten my hands on the idiot who wrote that jingle . . ." He left the rest of his threat unspoken.

I grinned. "Perfect. We'll personalize it for Edward then. What should we call it?"

"What else? 'Edward can do everything!'"

We all dissolved into raucous laughter.

"You realize of course that Edward can hear everything you're saying," Carlisle said by way of greeting as he stepped into the garage. "I'm sure he's not _completely_ distracted by Bella."

Emmett and I laughed.

It was Emmett who spoke for us. "We wouldn't have it any other way, Carlisle. It's only fair to let him know what to expect. It's like shooting fish in a barrel otherwise. Besides, the anticipation is half the fun. Let Eddie anticipate things for a bit." Emmett's grin was pure evil.

Alice, Rosalie and I laughed again. Even Carlisle chuckled.

"Just wait till after Bella leaves to cut into him. She may be tougher than she looks," he said with a wink at Alice, "but she's still new to us all. Let's give her a day at least before we unleash ourselves on her."

We all laughed.

"Don't worry. We'll wait till Edward gets back from bringing Bella home," I assured him. "That way, we'll have more time to plan and prepare."

"Oh," Rosalie purred, "but Edward will be so sad, just parted from his beloved's side. We couldn't possibly kick him while he's down." She sounded more like a cat preparing to pounce.

Carlisle shook his head. "I can't stay. I'm late for the hospital. Don't get into too much trouble," he cautioned as he opened his car door and got in.

"Not _too_ much," I assured him again with a grin.

Shaking his head but still smiling, Carlisle started the car and pulled out of the garage.

"So . . . ," Emmett drawled. "Anyone want to bet on how many times we have to sing our new song before Edward loses it?"

"Are we signing out loud or mentally?" I clarified.

"Both, of course!"

-x-x-x-

Fifteen minutes later, we had the chorus and a few verses written and had moved onto the details of our bet.

Since we couldn't tell how many times the others sang our new song mentally, we decided to base the bet on a unit of time instead – how many hours from the time Edward got back to when he lost his temper with us. Emmett was betting low figuring that Edward would have an even shorter fuse regarding anything to do with Bella. The last few weeks were proof of that – he did have a short fuse lately. I bet high. Edward had felt pretty relaxed to me earlier in the house. Rosalie surprised me by betting even higher than me. Her trust in his temper confused me at first until I realized she was just hoping to torture him longer. Rosalie was feeling quite spiteful lately.

We refused to let Alice bet at all. She tried though, saying, "I bet that Emmett's . . ." Emmett stopped her before she could reveal any more of what she saw in the future. We all knew that betting against Alice was foolish and we only did so when the odds of her visions coming to pass seemed insignificant. Even then she usually won.

She was a little miffed at first, but it was against her nature to hold onto anger. Her bubbly mood could never be repressed for long. It was one of the thousands of reasons I loved her so much.

Eventually with a lot of joking and trash talking, we agreed to the terms of our bet.

That being settled, Emmett turned to Alice, "So besides this, what else are we doing tonight, little sis?"

Alice's brow furrowed briefly in concentration. Then she grinned. "Thunderstorm tonight," she said simply.

"All right!" Emmett roared. "Baseball!"

"Count me in," I stated. It had been too long since we'd been able to play. I was very excited. So I ramped up my enthusiasm to make sure Rosalie joined in too.

"I'm in too," she said right on cue. I wondered if it was my efforts or if she would have consented to come anyway. Ah, who cared? She was coming, that's all that mattered.

Then she added, "At least I won't have to deal with Bella there."

"I'm pitching," Alice chimed, ignoring Rosalie's last comment.

And then we began divvying up into teams. Of course, we needed to know who else was playing. Alice took my hand and led me from the garage saying "Let's go ask the others if they're playing too."

-x-x-x-

We met Esme in the living room and asked her if she'd be joining the baseball game.

"Sure. If everyone's going, I'll call Carlisle to see if he can come too. What time are we starting?"

"Seven," Alice told her. "We just need to ask Edward and Carlisle. Everyone else has said they're playing."

"Fine," Esme smiled at us. "Let me know if Edward's playing or if he's staying with Bella." Realizing what she just said, she beamed. She was glowing with smug satisfaction.

I laughed. "You're just loving this, aren't you?" I accused her jokingly. "The idea that Edward's got a girlfriend and might have better plans."

She grinned and nodded happily, "Yes I am!"

-x-x-x-

As Alice and I climbed the stairs to the third floor, Edward and Bella's voices drifted down to us.

"You're still waiting for the running and the screaming, aren't you?" Bella asked. "I hate to burst your bubble, but you're really not as scary as you think you are. I don't find you scary at all, actually," she stated with casual indifference.

I turned to Alice, stunned that she would taunt him like that.

I heard Edward chuckle, accepting the challenge. "You _really _shouldn't have said that," he informed her.

Then I could hear him growling at her playfully.

"You wouldn't," Bella said, a trace of wariness lacing her voice now.

No, he wouldn't! _Edward, don't! It only takes a heartbeat for a game to turn serious, you _know _that! Don't even think about it._

Then I heard the crash of furniture from his room.

I started to sprint up the stairs, but Alice put a hand on my arm, giggling. I whirled back to face her.

"Relax, Jasper. It's all in fun." She laughed.

Suddenly I felt she was taking this much too casually – there was a limit to what the girl could tolerate. There had to be a limit to what Edward could do before his instincts took over and he hurt her. Or before hers kicked in and she ran from him.

I hurried up the rest of the stairs, dragging Alice with me.

Then Edward's playful growl drifted down the hall to us, "You were saying?"

"That you are a very, very terrifying monster," Bella gasped, breathlessly, attempting to sound sarcastic.

"Much better," Edward purred his approval of her answer.

We finally reached his door, and I was surprised to see it standing open.

Edward had Bella locked in his arms, lying across his couch, which was now against the wall where it had crashed. She was pressed against his chest, her back to us. She was struggling helplessly against his embrace.

"Um. Can I get up now?" she asked when her efforts to free herself failed for obvious reasons.

Edward just laughed.

As I stood in the doorway, I sampled the emotions in Edward's room. How close was he to losing control? With a human squirming in his arms as Bella was, his control had to be taut, near the breaking point. I realized if I could feel her heat and her heartbeat as Edward could, it would have been over for her several long minutes ago.

Alice giggled quietly and asked "Can we come in?"

"Go ahead," Edward invited us in.

Bella still couldn't see us, and it caused her some embarrassment to be caught in this compromising position.

A second later, Edward sat up, pulling Bella with him and rearranging her on his lap. I wasn't sure if his movement was in reaction to reading Bella's embarrassment in my mind or if he was moving slowly to make sure he didn't inadvertently hurt her.

Regardless, it was a very strange scene for me. It felt oddly disconnected. My eyes told me a completely different story than my talent did. I could see a human struggling with a vampire, but the emotions were amusement, love, trust and mild embarrassment. It didn't fit together.

Alice swept into Edward's room and sank onto the floor.

I stayed where I was, concerned that if I got too close my own control might break, causing me to try to harm the girl, or that my tenuous hold on my instincts might undermine Edward's. I focused, trying to ignore everything but what my talent told me. Edward was in complete control, even with Bella so close to him. An odd combination of emotions poured from him – happiness, love, amusement, joy, contentment, and a fierce protectiveness. I'd never felt this combination from him before.

Bella's emotions were very similar – love, trust, happiness and embarrassment. She was unafraid. And so trusting. She'd just been pounced by a vampire and I doubted that her slow human senses could have even registered his attack before they landed, yet there she sat in his arms, completely unafraid. She was simply mildly embarrassed as any teenager would be if caught lying on a couch with her boyfriend.

I stared at Edward, in wonder. He met my eyes and smiled at me, knowing exactly what was going through my mind.

My wife broke the brief silence by declaring, "It sounded as if you were having Bella for lunch, and we came to see if you would share."

At Alice's joke, Bella stiffened. _Finally, a normal response!_

Edward grinned, thoroughly amused. I couldn't tell if it was in response to Alice's comment, my remark or Bella's reaction. Maybe it was all three.

Seeing Edward's grin, Bella relaxed once again against Edward's chest. _She trusts you._ I told him. _She trusts you completely. _

Then it hit me that Alice_ was _telling the truth earlier. Bella had slept the night in Edward's arms. _Goddamn, Edward_, I told him in awe.

After shooting me a quick grin, Edward looked down at Bella. "Sorry, I don't believe I have enough to spare," he replied, tightening his hold on her.

Smiling despite myself, knowing his iron control would help mine, I walked further into the room saying, "Actually, Alice says there's going to be a real storm tonight, and Emmett wants to play ball. Are you game?"

I felt his instant enthusiasm, followed quickly by his hesitation as he looked back at Bella.

Alice must have read the same thing on his face. "Of course you should bring Bella."

I looked quickly at her thinking that wouldn't go over well with Rosalie. Then glancing back at Edward, I added, _Then again, Rosalie's being a bitch. So bring Bella. Everyone else likes her. It'll give Emmett a chance to meet her too. Rosalie needs to get over herself._

"Do you want to go?" he asked her eagerly.

I hid my amusement as I felt her repress her initial negativity to the idea as she tried to work up some enthusiasm for Edward's sake. "Sure. Um, where are we going?"

"We have to wait for thunder to play ball – you'll see why," he explained.

"Will I need an umbrella?" she asked Alice.

We all laughed as we realized how quickly Bella was catching on. Alice would definitely know if Bella needed an umbrella or not.

"Will she?" I asked Alice.

"No. The storm will hit over town. It should be dry enough in the clearing."

"Good, then." I closed the deal and sealed it with a burst of enthusiasm directed to the others in the room with me.

Alice rose gracefully and skipped to the hallway. "Let's go see if Carlisle will come."

"Like you don't know," I joked.

I followed Alice to the door and looked back at Edward and Bella. I shook my head in wonder again as I registered their emotions. Love, trust, contentment. Edward was almost unrecognizable to my particular sense.

_You know about the song? _I asked him silently. He nodded imperceptibly. Strangely I felt no irritation from him.

_And the bet? _I clarified, not believing that he felt no annoyance whatsoever. It was so un-Edward-like. _And you're not even irritated?_

He grinned a bit more and tightened his arms around Bella. His message was clear – he had Bella and nothing else mattered.

_Damn! I should have bet higher._

I stepped into the hall and shut his door to give them their privacy.

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_**Author's End Note:**_ Please let me know if you think this chapter worked. I'm thinking of writing another chapter in Emmett's POV and would love to know if you think it's worth the effort. Please tell me what you think!


	4. Chapter 4 Insecurities

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**

First Impressions

**Chapter 4 – Insecurities**

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Twilight. But after chasing Emmett for months to get the rest of this story, I sure own his sorry ass! And he's going to park it in the chair right in front of me and tell me the rest of this story before he's allowed to go ANYWHERE!

On a separate note, Edward and Carlisle won't be allowed to leave anytime soon either, for entirely different reasons. LOL

Sorry for the delay in posting. I obviously blame Emmett.

_**Author's Note**_: My friend and beta, KlutzLikeBella, is amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you KLB! Check out her stories. They're almost as awesome as she is!

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**Emmett's POV **

After Alice and Jasper left us to ask Esme and Edward to the baseball game, I stayed in the garage with Rosalie.

My wife worked on the Jeep in a strained silence. Her movements clearly telegraphed her emotional turmoil as she uncharacteristically treated the engine more forcefully than necessary. I waited in silence to allow her the time I knew she needed to put her wild emotions into words.

Then the rage and hurt that Rosalie had been holding in boiled over, "Emmett, I can't stand her. How dare Edward put us all at risk for a stupid little human girl? It's not fair! And he brought her to our _home_! _My _home! How could he? I hate her!"

I answered her in the calm tone of voice that often soothed Rosalie's moods, "Rosie, she won't be around forever. Like you said, she's human. Either Edward will figure out that he's more fascinated with her blood than with the girl herself or she'll run away. If she's got any brains at all, she'll never come back here. We had to have terrified her, despite whatever Jasper and Alice said."

Rosalie huffed, "Not with Esme and Carlisle working so hard not to frighten her! You heard them! We have to be very careful not to scare the poor, pathetic, little mouse! Alice already loves her 'new sister', and Jasper will do anything for Alice…. You know that! I hate her!"

There was the sticking point. Rosalie was more upset that the rest of our family welcomed Bella so whole-heartedly than by the girl's actual presence in our home. It was no secret that our family sometimes saw Rosalie as shallow and self-involved, as if her feelings were superficial and insincere. But I understood my wife better than anyone else, including our telepathic and empathic brothers – actually, even better than Rosalie knew herself. I knew that her feelings ran deep and strong. I understood her soul-eating insecurities and I knew the reason behind them.

In her youth, Rosalie's entire existence – her worth – was based on her beauty. She had learned . . . no, she had been _taught _. . . to trade on her looks for all things: for her place in society, to secure her future and with that, the future of the rest of her human family, not to mention for love and acceptance. It was no wonder that her entire sense of self relied on her beauty and desirability. The surprise was that this hadn't smothered all else in Rosalie. And I knew that it hadn't. It was buried deep, but I knew the caring, fragile woman who hid beneath the aloof front Rosalie showed the world.

The night that Rosalie had been attacked by those . . . _men_ . . . had all but destroyed her.

Not only had they broken her body, they had also broken her mind and her perception of herself. Her beauty – the very thing that was supposed to assure her wealth, success and happiness – had been the instrument of her destruction.

My Rosalie was very fragile, despite the brave face she showed the world.

I knew all of this – without ever being told – because Rosalie _was_ my world and I noticed _everything_ about her. And I also knew how much she was hurting about Bella.

I was secure enough to know that there could never be anything romantic between Edward and Rosalie, but his rejection of her before my new birth had shaken her deeply. She had consoled herself by believing there was something wrong with Edward, a belief shared by other members of our family.

But then Bella had captured Edward's attention, where Rosalie had failed. It was obvious that Edward loved Bella. His defense of her against our family and the fact that he had restrained himself from killing her, especially yesterday, had made that very clear. The inevitable question for Rosalie was "what does she have that I don't?"

Bella's easy and complete acceptance by the rest of our family had only made things infinitely worse. Alice's references to her 'new sister' had sparked such jealousy and insecurity in my poor wife that it ate at her – and at me, to watch her in pain and self-doubt.

To be completely honest, I also wondered about Bella. Who was this girl that she could inspire such loyalty – even love – from my family, when no human had touched them in decades?

My curiosity consumed me.

But my first priority was my wife. Rosalie was the reason I lived. Without her, there was nothing.

So I stayed with her in the garage and listened to her chatter as she drowned out the voices from the house. Rosalie needed me and needed my unconditional loyalty. I would help her through this . . . because, despite my assurances to my wife, from all I'd seen and heard, it sounded like Bella wasn't going out of our lives anytime soon.

* * *

It was with some relief that I heard the doors of Bella's antique truck slam and the engine roar to life.

Edward and Bella pulled away from the house and Rosalie visibly relaxed. As her anger evaporated, I could see sadness and self-doubt creep in.

I knew a distraction was necessary. I leaned against the hood of the car and lazily let my eyes drift over my wife's magnificent body as she bent into the engine. When I was sure she had noticed me, I stepped back and let my eyes rake over her more thoroughly.

"Emmett," she growled, pretending to be irritated with me.

"Yes, Rosalie?" I purred.

"What are you doing?" Again she tried to sound irritated.

"I'm checking out your ass," I told her truthfully. "You have a great ass, Rose." Growling quietly, I reached out to touch her.

Without looking at me, she smacked my hand. "Emmett! I'm working," she snapped.

Her attempts to sound angry failed. I could hear the excitement in her voice.

I moved behind her and ran my palm over her firm rear and up her spine. She arched against my hand, still bent over the engine.

I closed the small distance between us and pressed my hips against her, letting her know exactly how desirable I found her.

She moaned deep in her throat.

I grabbed her roughly and spun her to face me. The wrench she'd been holding clanked noisily to the floor.

I pressed her hard against my chest and kissed her thoroughly.

She groaned into my mouth. Her fingers clutched at my shoulders, pulling me closer.

I released her lips and trailed open mouthed kisses down her jaw to her throat. Her breath was coming in short harsh pants.

"Emmett," she objected. "I'm working. The Jeep . . ." But she didn't push me away. Instead her fingers threaded into my hair and held me closer.

"The Jeep's done," I grunted against her skin. "I've got another problem I want you to fix for me."

She laughed throatily. "Is it a big problem?"

"Huge."

Her laughter was cut off in a gasp, as I moved lower to kiss the swell of her breasts, visible above the neckline of her low cut t-shirt.

My hands swept roughly from her waist down the back of her thighs. I started to pick her up, to sit her on the edge of the Jeep's hood.

She stopped me, gasping, "Wait, Em, wait."

"No waiting," I growled back. "I've been waiting all damned day."

She laughed at my enthusiasm. "I need a shower, Em."

"Ummm. The shower. Great idea," I mumbled back, while still devouring her throat and already picturing her naked, lathered . . .

"No, really!" She pushed against me, hard.

I reluctantly let her go and stepped back . . . a bit.

She giggled at my frustrated look. "I want to have a shower first. I'm all dirty," she informed me playfully.

I growled again to tell her that if her words were intended to discourage me, they were having the opposite effect.

She grinned wickedly at me and stepped closer. I recognized her mood; Rosalie loved to tease. Her fingers toyed with the collar of my shirt flirtatiously. "Let me shower first. . . and then I'll show you how dirty I can really be."

I drew a deep shaky breath.

"All right," I agreed reluctantly. Rosalie liked to be in control sexually. I could give her that, knowing that she'd make up fully for my current frustration.

I pushed her ahead of me towards the house. "Go. Before I change my mind and take you right here on the garage floor."

She shot me a saucy grin over her shoulder as she sauntered back to the house. The sway of her hips made every step into a sensual promise.

I groaned. She'd be the death of me yet. But damn! What a helluva way to go!

* * *

I followed my wife back into our house. My eyes never left her body.

She knew exactly the effect she was having on me, deliberately frustrating me, and she was enjoying every minute of it.

As she mounted the stairs to our room, she trailed her fingers sensuously over the polished wood of the handrail.

I stood hypnotized at the foot of the stairs watching her ascent. She swayed sensuously down the hall and out of my line of sight. I still lingered at the bottom step, listening to her movements in our room. The sound of the shower starting sent a dizzying array of images through my mind. I wondered how long she'd make me wait . . . and how she'd make it up to me later. The possibilities were intox . . .

"Goddamn it, Emmett! Get a room, would you?" Jasper snapped at me, breaking my trance.

"What?" I blinked, looking around stupidly. Thinking of Rosalie or sex or – best yet – sex _with_ Rosalie always clouded my mind.

"Either follow her upstairs and get it over with or focus on something else. But don't just stand there radiating lust!" Jasper barked angrily from the couch where he sat.

"Sorry, Jasper." I grinned cockily at him because we both knew I wasn't really sorry at all.

He snickered and shook his head. "Come on," he said tossing me a game controller, identical to the one he already held. "I'll kick your butt while Rosalie showers."

I caught the controller and sank down on the far end of the couch.

He restarted the game and we settled into our favorite pastime.

"Where's Alice?" I asked him curiously.

"Upstairs. Getting ready for the game tonight."

I blinked. "That's not for seven hours!"

He barked a laugh. "I know. I gave up trying to understand long ago. All I know is 'she's getting ready'."

I snorted. "So are Edward, Esme and Carlisle going to play ball with us?"

Jasper suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Yep. Esme called Carlisle and he'll be there. Edward's coming too." He paused. "He's bringing Bella."

Aw, crap. Rosie was going to freak. Worse, this would really hurt her feelings. Again.

"Shit, Jasper," I breathed, trying to figure out how to tell my wife and how to protect her.

Sensing my distress, Jasper tried to reassure me, "Look, it'll be ok. I'll help keep her calm and try to smooth things over. Rosalie's got to get used to this anyway. You had to see Edward and Bella together, Em. I've never seen anything like it. Bella's going to be around for a long time. She's not scared of him or of us. She loves him. And Edward's not letting her go."

I grumbled something unintelligible even to me. My mind was still searching for how to make this right for Rosalie.

"Look on the bright side," Jasper cajoled. "Edward's planning on meeting her father this afternoon. Maybe Chief Swan will shoot him," he suggested hopefully to me.

I had to laugh. That would certainly solve a lot of my problems. Neither Edward nor Bella would come to the baseball game if her father had just murdered him. Of course the bullet wouldn't hurt Edward. But we would have to move . . . after digging Edward up from wherever the Chief tried to stash his body.

"Rose would get a real kick out of that," I chortled. I suddenly felt much better. Maybe Jasper was screwing with my emotions. It was hard to tell. Aw, who cared? If he was using his talent on me it was only because he wanted to help me. I didn't fight the new feeling.

"I wonder how Edward would fake the actual injury," Jasper pondered out loud, clearly also amused by the thought.

"No idea. But the boy's quick. You got to give him that. We should ask him, when he gets back. He must have a contingency plan for that." I chuckled again at the thought of Bella's father shooting him. "Hmmm . . . shotgun or handgun? Handgun's easier, but the shotgun's messier. Which do you like better?"

"Shotgun," we both answered my question at the same time and cracked up.

We concentrated on the game again until my curiosity got the better of me.

"So he's really planning on meeting her father?" I asked.

"Yep. He told Esme he was spending the afternoon at Bella's house. He wants her to introduce him to her father. You know Edward – Mr. Formality. He's doing everything by the book even even if the book is a hundred years out of date.

"Hunh," I snorted. This was all surprising to me. I hadn't thought that he'd take their relationship that far out into the daylight. Somehow I had pictured him skulking around her, never letting anyone see him too close to her, either because my self-loathing brother was keeping her on some sort of pedestal above him or because he might one day succumb to his lust for her blood. But Jasper was right; Edward was very formal and old fashioned. 'Uptight' was probably a better word.

Then another thought occurred to me. I grinned wickedly at Jasper. "So, uh, what do you think they're doing right now? While they're waiting for her father to come home?"

Jasper threw his head back and laughed. "That's a good question. You think they're making out like the hormonal seventeen-year-olds they are?"

I gagged in astonishment at his response. "No! Have you lost it? I was thinking they were sitting awkwardly in the living room in separate chairs. You know, with the ticking of the clock on the wall as the only sound in the room? What the hell are _you_ thinking? She wouldn't last two seconds kissing him – he'd either crush her or drink from her. Hell, she'd throw him out for even _trying_ to get near her with those teeth. Come to think of it, any one of those options would also solve my problem of having to tell Rosalie she's coming to the game," I joked. "Besides, can you picture _Edward_ kissing _anybody_, let alone a human girl?"

I glanced over at Jasper expecting to see him looking embarrassed by his obviously flawed line of thinking.

Instead, he was grinning smugly at me as if _I _were the one who was confused.

"You really don't get this, Emmett," he stated sadly, shaking his head at me.

I frowned at him. "What do you mean? What don't I get?"

"Edward and Bella. You really don't have any clue what they're like together. I didn't either, not until I saw it for myself." I urged him silently to continue. "Do you know he pounced on her today?"

My eyes bugged out. He'd attacked her? No, that couldn't be – Jasper just said they were together at her house. But if he'd . . . I didn't get it.

"Yes, it _is _confusing," Jasper agreed, answering my emotions. "You missed it while you were with Rosalie. Bella informed Edward that she 'didn't think he was scary at all'. So Edward threatened to pounce her . . . growled at her . . . the whole bit. Then he _did_ pounce her. By the time I made it to his door, Edward had her down on the couch and she was struggling against him."

"Holy crap," I breathed. The controller lay forgotten in my hands. "How'd you stop him?"

Jasper grinned again. "I didn't need to. They were fine. _Amused_! They were both _amused_ by his stupid stunt."

I frowned in utter confusion.

Jasper turned to face me, "Edward was _playing_. He was playing at stalking and catching a human. Can you even imagine what that felt like? How warm and soft and irresistible she'd feel?" Jasper shook his head in amazement, clearly remembering exactly how a human felt when he'd hunted them. He had to swallow before continuing. "When I saw them, I thought for sure Edward was going to rip into her throat, but he was in complete control, nowhere near to breaking. This girl – the same one that sent him running out of state – is squirming in his arms and he's not even close to drinking from her. It was unreal."

I turned back to stare at the TV screen, though in truth I barely registered what I saw. I was too busy trying to process what Jasper was describing.

"Well, what about her? How'd you get her calmed down?" Obviously Jasper had used his talent on her to calm her. Hell, after that experience, Jasper must have damned near _tranquilized_ her.

Jasper actually laughed. "That's the best part. She wasn't scared. At all!" Jasper chuckled again at the memory. "The only time she showed any normal reaction was when Alice joked about sharing her for lunch. And even then, it wasn't fear – it was just discomfort! – and only until Edward let her know it was a joke. Then she just trustingly curled back up against him. So you wonder if I think they could be kissing away the afternoon right now? I don't think so, but now having seen them together, I'll admit to the possibility."

I tried to sort out what my brother was describing. None of it made sense. What the hell kind of girl could stand being jumped and fought over by vampires without dissolving into terror?

"So what's wrong with her? Is she mentally deficient?"

Jasper thought for a moment before answering me. "Yes and no. No, she's intelligent and has a quick mind and she's not depressed or suicidal."

"But 'yes' because?" I asked for the other half of his answer.

He snorted, "Yes, because she's dating _Edward._ Come on!"

I laughed, grateful that Jasper had broken the serious turn our conversation had taken. The bantering mood returned to the room. We took a few moments to dwell on Edward's less appealing qualities, cutting into him in ways only brothers could appreciate.

Then I threw down another challenge to Jasper, just for the hell of it, because the idea amused me. "Hey, I've got a thousand bucks that says the Chief comes home today and throws Edward out."

Jasper guffawed, clearly picturing that. "You're on. I say it's at least a week before the Chief tosses him out. Edward's Eddie-Haskell-like performance – "Yes, sir", "No, sir", "You can count on me, sir" – will probably buy him a week before the Chief kicks him out."

I laughed hard. I hadn't thought if Eddie Haskell, that brown-nosing weasel from "Leave It To Beaver", in years. Hell, even the name was perfect. I'd have to remember that for future conversations with Edward.

Right on cue, Edward burst through the front door. I didn't need to be empathic to see that he was really pissed. His angry glower spoke clearly.

"Pay up," I gloated, sticking my hand out to Jasper.

* * *

**_End Note:_**

Please let me know what you think! The next chapter is with my beta now. It shouldn't be too long for the next update. I promise!


	5. Chapter 5 Quileutes

**First Impressions **

**Chapter 5 – Quileutes – Emmett's POV**

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**Author's Note: **Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated ! LOL It's been too long since I've updated and I'm sorry.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to bluejake235, EdwinaCullen and dreamsofjosten, the ladies from the Twilighted thread, who kindly kicked my butt into writing this chapter. Thank you for the kind push. :D

Also, Blondie, my friend and beta, for patiently going over and over this chapter "just one more time" and helping me out when I had major brain fail. Thanks, Blondie.

Lastly, my friend and beta, KlutzLikeBella, deserves a thank you as well for all the early work on this chapter. Thanks, KLB.

OK, I'm shutting up now. Here's the chapter, in Emmett's POV.

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**Emmett's POV **

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Life was good. I was a thousand dollars richer (which I really didn't care about), I had bragging rights over Jasper (which I _did_ care about), and I didn't have to tell Rosalie that the girl was going to the game because clearly either she or her father had thrown Edward out.

And I had a beautiful wife who – if my ears didn't deceive me – had just turned off the shower.

Yes, life was very good!

A little Edward-baiting would be the cherry on my sundae! "So Eddie . . ." I began.

"Not now, Emmett," Edward snapped irritably. He turned to lock eyes with Alice who sat perched at the top step of the staircase. I was startled to see her there. I hadn't heard her arrive.

"You saw?" Edward asked her cryptically.

"Yes, but not until after you left."

"What's this going to mean?"

"I'm not sure. I can't see clearly. There's too much that's still undecided."

I groaned in frustration. I had had to listen to Edward and Alice talk in their own secret code for over fifty years. At least today Alice was answering out loud, not that her cryptic answers were any help in following their conversation.

"Hey, not all of us read minds, you know!" I reminded them irritably for what felt like the millionth time. "What's going on?"

"We need to call Carlisle," Edward stated, seemingly in answer to both myself and Alice.

Alice nodded her agreement.

"Why?" I demanded. Then I remembered what a drama queen Edward could be. It was probably just what I'd originally guessed. So I grinned tauntingly at him and asked, "Which one kicked you out – Bella or her old man?"

But Jasper was shaking his head and slowly rising to his feet. "No, Emmett. It feels more serious than that."

Edward turned to answer him. "It is. The Quileutes have taken an interest in Bella too. They decided to break the treaty."

~*~*~*~

My family gathered in the dining room a few minutes later to call Carlisle. Esme and Rosalie had come downstairs when they heard Edward's statement about the treaty.

Edward, being the control-freak that he was, held the phone. One advantage of our enhanced hearing was that we didn't need speaker phone for us all to speak to each other; it was easy to hear and be heard even without it. Regardless, Edward held the phone to his ear, probably more out of habit than anything else.

He paced impatiently while we waited for the hospital staff to locate Carlisle for this call. Neither Edward nor Alice had provided any more information to us, preferring to explain once Carlisle could hear too.

Esme and Alice looked worried about the idea of the Quileutes breaking the treaty. Rosalie was furious. This was one more incident of Edward's fixation with the Swan girl bringing trouble to our doorstep. For the moment, Rosy was choosing to keep her temper leashed, although Jasper kept shooting her exasperated looks. I'm sure her anger was irritating to him; once again I was grateful not to have Jasper's talent. Rosy was trying to look disinterested, as though the whole conversation was beneath her. She stared blankly at the wall over Esme's head and feigned disinterest, almost as if there were other things she'd rather be doing right now. I chuckled as I hoped one of them was me.

Jasper angled his head toward me and rolled his eyes. Hey, would he prefer that I was steaming, too?

But my wife's negative reaction couldn't squelch Jasper's and my mood. He and I were extremely excited. Life had been far too boring lately, aside from all the Edward / Bella drama. A little turf war would spice things up nicely.

When he picked up the call, Carlisle wasted no time. "What's wrong?"

"Can you speak freely?" Edward asked.

"I'm in my office. What is it?"

Edward placed the phone down face-up in the middle of the table.

_You're still a control freak_, I taunted him. _ And a drama queen!_

Edward continued as if he hadn't heard me. "The Quileutes are on the verge of breaking the treaty." He paused briefly to allow Carlisle a moment to digest that. "When I drove Bella home, one of the tribal elders was waiting on her porch, a descendant of Ephraim Black. It seems Chief Swan is a life-long friend of several of the Quileute elders, including Black. I had seen Black earlier this week at the Swans' house. That night, he had recognized me as a Cullen, but his thoughts were garbled with shock, and the silent curses he threw at me were no different from anything we've heard from the tribe before. It didn't seem particularly noteworthy. However he did become aware of my interest in Bella."

Rosalie snarled quietly, unable to continue to silence her anger.

Edward ignored her and continued. "Tonight, his thoughts were crystal clear – he has spent several days weighing his duty to uphold the treaty against his duty to protect his friend's child. He considers the Swans to be part of his family, even if they aren't technically covered by the terms of our agreement. Tonight, he decided that Bella was more important than the treaty."

_Hunh, he's not the only one_, I thought, remembering how Edward's decisions regarding Bella had also come perilously close to breaking the treaty time and time again. If he had succumbed to his desire for her blood, _we _would be the ones to be violating the old agreement with the Quileutes. _What is it about this girl?_

She had seemed ordinary to me when I'd seen her at school. Once we learned of Edward's fascination with her, we'd all taken to watching her whenever we could, trying to discern what Edward saw. Sure, she was pretty, but not remarkably so. Nothing compared to my Rosalie. There seemed to be nothing extraordinary about her. And yet here she was again, at the centre of a brewing battle. I wished I'd had the chance to meet her earlier today, maybe then I'd understand.

Then I shook myself. Who cared? The point was we were getting a chance to fight with the Quileutes. I should stop worrying about girly stuff and focus on the important stuff like fighting. _Shit, I'm definitely spending too much time with you, Edward. I'm going all emo and shit. Go on with what happened! When do we get to fight them?_

Edward just frowned at me, not liking my train of thought one bit. I grinned back at him.

He rolled his eyes and continued, "Black feels it is his duty to warn Charlie Swan to keep his daughter away from us, even at the cost of breaking the treaty. He and his child were waiting outside for Bella's father to return home. He intended to tell Chief Swan everything he knows, which is considerable. The tribe has not forgotten about us, passing the stories down through the generations. They are remarkably accurate. Damn them!"

Like me, Carlisle heard the anger in Edward's voice. His tone was cautious when he asked, "You didn't do anything to provoke them further, did you, Edward?"

"No, of course not, Carlisle," he said flatly.

Of course not, I grumbled. Not Perfect Edward. He was such a spoilsport. He wouldn't know fun if it came up to him and poked him stooge-style in both eyes.

Edward continued in an offhand tone, "I didn't say a word to him. I just looked him in the eye, kissed Bella's throat and stared him down until they went inside."

"You what?" Carlisle hissed in disbelief.

Jasper and I burst out laughing. I reached out and thumped Edward on the back. _Not too bad at all. You've got some fight in you, little brother. This girl is good for you, isn't she? _Of course, I was also impressed that he could get that close to her throat without biting her.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and muttered, "Jackass." But she was just pissed with Edward in general. I doubt there was anything he could have done at this point that she would have approved of.

Edward tried to hide his self-satisfied smirk. "He needed to understand that it wasn't within his power to keep me from Bella. I made my point. She's mine," he growled possessively.

"She _belongs_ to no one, Edward. Not even to you!" Esme snapped. She had strong views on women's rights – which wasn't surprising, given her past.

Edward just shrugged. "Agreed. If Bella decides to stop seeing me, I'll respect that. But that old man had better understand _he_ doesn't own her, either. And he will _not_ make decisions for her."

I heard Carlisle sigh. He apparently decided not to pursue this argument because his next question was to confirm facts. "So Black hadn't spoken with Chief Swan yet at all regarding this?"

"No. When I left them, Chief Swan was still out fishing. Bella and I got to her home first."

"Where is Bella now?"

"I left her there. She wanted to 'take care of it' as she put it."

"Was that wise?" Jasper pondered aloud.

Edward shrugged again, "It seemed wisest to allow her to speak with Black without my presence. He's harmless enough to her."

"So what'd you hear when you eavesdropped after kissing your girl goodbye?" It wasn't much of a leap to assume Edward had stayed to listen. God, he stayed to listen to everything else that girl did – making dinner, doing her homework, eating, sleeping. He sure as hell better have stayed to listen to _this _conversation.

His expression was torn between admiration at Bella and anger at Black. "I didn't think she'd be able to stop him from speaking with her father. Black was very determined. But she challenged him directly, called him right out on his beliefs, on the terms of the treaty. You should have heard her. She was amazing." He was beaming with pride now, his earlier scowl replaced by a look of pure adoration. I choked on a mouthful of venom. God help me, this was nauseating. "She got him to agree not to speak with the Chief. But he wants her to tell her father herself."

Jasper scowled and Edward hastily answered his question without giving him time to voice it. "No, she's already proven she'll keep our secrets. You really should have heard her, Jasper. She was incredible."

Now it was Jasper's turn to roll his eyes. Gah, if I was feeling sick at watching Edward's display of nauseatingly sweet emotions regarding Bella, I could only imagine what Jasper was having to put up with. I chuckled. That _had_ to be annoying to Jasper.

"That doesn't mean that the Quileutes won't decide to break the treaty later," Jasper persisted. His point was well taken, but I also thought he was trying to divert Edward's attention away from his feelings for Bella and back to the matter at hand.

I decided to help him out. "Maybe we should just fight them. Why wait for them to go first?" I suggested hopefully.

No one was buying that. I didn't think they would, but it was worth a try.

"Emmett, we are a peaceful family. We won't fight if there are any other options open to us," Carlisle scolded me.

_Dammit_. Jasper and I exchanged an exasperated look.

But his next word gave me hope. "However . . ."

_Yes, yes!_

Carlisle addressed Alice directly. "Alice, we need to know what they are capable of, in case it does come down to a conflict. Can you see if the tribe still has the ability to shift into wolf-form?"

Alice frowned as she focused. She seemed to concentrate for an abnormally long time.

I snorted at the idea of how hard she was looking. "They'll be easy to spot, Alice. Just look for horse-sized dogs running through the woods. They're hard to miss." Then I threw in a new idea that came to me, "Or you could try looking for _really BIG_ yellow stains in the snow beside trees. That would be a good clue too."

Jasper and Rosalie snickered.

With her eyes closed, still trying to see, Alice answered, "I don't see anything."

Knowing Jasper and Alice had never experienced the dogs, I suggested dryly, "Well, if you can't _see_ them, try smelling for them. They're _impossible_ to miss. On a windy day, you can smell the stench from ten miles away."

Jasper laughed, thinking I was joking.

"Edward, tell Jasper I'm not kidding."

"He's not kidding. Though I'd put it more at twenty miles," Edward stated, waving his hand in front of his nose.

I nodded sagely at Jasper's astonished look.

Alice finally opened her eyes. "I don't see anything – no giant dogs, no attacks, no fighting with the Quileutes."

Carlisle sighed with relief. "Then it's as we suspected. The gene that allowed the mutation died off. Which means the only thing we have to worry about from this generation is them revealing the information they have."

I was surprised when Edward suddenly grimaced and hid his face behind his hand. "I should have said earlier . . . It seemed inconsequential at the time. . ."

"What?" Carlisle voiced the confusion we all felt.

Edward sounded abashed as he explained, "This isn't the first time the Black family has broken the treaty. Black's child broke it earlier this week."

"And you didn't think this was worth mentioning?" Carlisle's displeasure with Edward was evident in his tone.

"It slipped my mind. I found out on Tuesday, the same night Bella was attacked in Port Angeles. I was distracted."

Why was I not surprised to hear the words 'distracted' and 'Bella' in the same sentence _again_? But I wasn't going to allow my exasperation with my brother to detract from this chance to poke at him.

"Edward, Edward, Edward. Where are your priorities?" I intoned trying my best to sound like a disappointed parent. "You mean we could have been fighting with them five days ago and it _slipped your mind_?" I turned to Jasper, "Kids today! No sense of priorities – or fun – whatsoever!"

At first hearing Edward's admission, Jasper had looked angry, but at my mocking words, he relaxed, picking up on my amused emotions. Like me, Jasper wanted a confrontation with the wolves – it seemed irrationally silly to be angry at getting what we wanted. And to have Officer Edward of the Fun Police deliver it to us on a plate was just too funny. Deciding to join me in taunting Edward, he nodded condescendingly. "It's sad really. Back in my day, kids knew how . . ."

"Emmett! Jasper!" Carlisle snapped. "Edward, what do you mean you knew five days ago that the treaty was broken? How could you have kept this to yourself?" He sounded very angry, which was saying a lot coming from Carlisle.

Esme looked pissed too. "Edward! You should have told us." She was glaring at Edward with the angry-mother stare that she usually reserved for me. I grinned. It was nice to see someone else on the receiving end of that look and that tone of voice, for a change.

Edward knew he was wrong and in trouble and he looked like he was thinking fast about how to back-peddle out of it. _OK, Smarty-Pants, I'd love to see how you're going to talk your way out of this one_, I laughed at him silently. _You're in so much shit right now._

From the gloating look on my wife's face, I was sure she was sending Edward the same kind of reassuring messages that I was. Who knew this little family meeting would turn out to be so much fun?

My soon-to-be-dismembered brother drew a deep breath to collect his thoughts – it seemed I was right about not being the only one sending him disapproving messages – and began to explain. _This ought to be good_, I threw at him before he had a chance to start.

"While Emmett and I were hunting last weekend, Bella went to the beach in La Push. She met the young Quileute there and convinced him to share what he knew of us. His information was startlingly accurate – the tribe has a very long memory. He told her we were vampires and about the treaty and that we'd lived here before. He told her everything. It seems the only thing he left out was his family's history of morphing into dogs. But Bella told me this just after she'd had been attacked and she was still badly shaken. My first priority had to be her safety. I had to take care of her first."

Rosalie snorted in disgust and crossed her arms over her chest. I knew she had felt sympathy for what almost happened to Bella, but my wife's irritation with our brother overshadowed everything today.

I preferred to see the humour in the situation and couldn't pass up the opportunity to torture Edward a bit more.

I deliberately claimed the moral high ground, not out of a sense of righteousness but just to get on Edward's nerves. I assumed a holier-than-thou tone of voice. "Well, that answers the question of where Edward's priorities were and what he was thinking. He's obviously distracted by the irresistibly delectable Miss Swan and thinking not so much with his brain as with his . . ."

"Emmett!" Esme snapped at me, to cut me off before I could finish my sentence.

"I was going to say 'thirst', Esme," I retorted defensively. It was a lie; I was going to say 'penis'. She didn't need to know that though.

"I'm sorry, Emmett, dear. I guess I'm a little on edge."

Edward shot me one of his famous 'you're an ass' glares, but didn't correct Mom.

Honestly, I was surprised I had gotten away with my little lie. After so many decades, Esme almost always knew when we were lying to her. We hardly ever bothered to try. I decided to press my advantage a bit. It was too much fun to pass up.

"Don't worry, Mom. We're all a little jumpy, what with Edward's defection from our family and all," I said understandingly.

Oops, I'd laid it on too thick with that last comment. She eyed me suspiciously, suspecting I was leading up to trouble making but not knowing exactly how.

I drew a breath to say something to deflect her suspicion from me again and to stir up a bit more trouble . . .

"THE POINT IS . . ." Edward's angry voice purposefully overrode me to bring the conversation back to the treaty. "The point is that Black's child didn't believe he was telling Bella the truth or that he was actually violating a valid treaty."

Carlisle's voice cleared of tension, "His own child doesn't believe the elders' stories."

"That's right. We misjudged the danger, Carlisle. The danger was not that the elders would expose us – it's the younger generation, the ones who were warned but don't believe the legends, who pose the risk of revealing the truth about us. Like Black's child. However, it's also true that if their own children don't believe the legends, there's little chance that others raised outside of the tribe will either. I doubt if Chief Swan would believe, even if he were told the truth. In fact, once this older generation passes, I believe the stories will quickly be relegated to folklore or superstition."

Whispered comments and speculations broke out across the room.

Carlisle interrupted to take charge of the meeting. "Alice, can you see what the tribe intends to do? Can you see the next tribal elders' meeting? What are they planning?"

Alice's brow furrowed in deep concentration. Looking uncertain, she drew her knees up to her chest, resting her heels on the edge of her chair.

Reacting to her distress, Jasper frowned and put his arm around her shoulders.

Her eyes still squeezed shut to focus, Alice said, "I can't see a meeting. I think . . . there isn't another meeting. Or maybe they just haven't decided to have one yet. Yes, I think that's it. They haven't decided to have a meeting yet. I'm sure I'll see it when they do."

_Yeah, that made sense_, I decided. _Maybe Black hasn't told the other elders he intends to break the treaty. Maybe that's why there are no plans for the elders to meet – they haven't realized there may be a need._

Edward's eyes snapped to me. "That makes sense, Emmett." He explained my idea to the others.

Once again, Carlisle directed Alice to look ahead for him. "Alice, can you see anything changing at the Swan house? Is Bella considering confiding in her father? Is Black going to call Chief Swan later? Is there any immediate danger to us?"

_How did we ever manage before the tiny psychic freak joined us?_ I wondered to myself, silently admiring my sister's invaluable talent. Of course, it also seemed she was diverting my little turf war, so maybe I'd better think of something to get it back on track.

Edward snorted in amusement and shook his head at me.

Alice again closed her eyes to focus. Then the worry cleared from her face. "No, of course, Bella's not going to say anything. And I don't see Black contacting Bella's dad about this again. I can see Edward arriving to pick her up after dinner for the game. Ugh," she wrinkled her nose at our brother. "There's a fifty-fifty chance that her father will spend the evening calling you 'Edwin'."

We all laughed, even Esme and Carlisle. Heck, even Rosalie laughed at that. The tension evaporated from the room. Crisis averted. No turf war. No fun. _Dammit._

_~*~_

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**Author's End Note:** In trying to envision this scene, one basic question came up. Can Alice see the wolves before they begin to phase? Specifically, could Alice see Jacob on the porch on this day?

I asked both my betas for their thoughts on this question and got conflicting opinions.

Blondie hypothesized that the werewolves' abilities and characteristics were due to their different chromosomes (SM stated that Quileutes with the ability to phase have 24 chromosome pairs, whereas normal humans have 23). Therefore since Jacob's genes are already established, Alice would not be able to see him even before he began to phase. Which is also why Alice never saw Bella getting hurt riding the motorcycle – cause Jake was always with her, pre-phase.

KlutzLikeBella thought (as Edward and Carlisle hypothesized in Eclipse) that it was the wolves' volatile nature that made it impossible for Alice to see their future – because it keeps shifting too quickly. Therefore until they began to phase, Alice could see them.

Both arguments make a lot of sense. I only wish SM herself had been more clear and consistent in her background science . . . yes, I'm very OCD about the scientific details! LOL

In the earlier drafts of this chapter, I had Alice trying to look into Bella's house to see the conversation with Billy. And I went with the idea that Alice COULD see the wolves prior to them phasing because I thought if Alice had looked and realized she was blind, she'd be forewarned for the events of New Moon. Know what I mean?

In the final version, I had Edward stay to overhear the Black-Bella conversation at the Swans' house and therefore Alice had no reason to look there at that time.

What's your opinion on that question?

And in case you didn't catch it, the reason Alice cannot see the tribal elders' meetings is because Sam Uley (now phasing) always attends them, thus blinding Alice's sight of them.

So what do you think? Can Alice see the werewolves before they begin phasing? Let me know your thoughts on that and on whether you enjoyed this chapter. I'd love to hear from you. :o)


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